Limerick man admits to role in residential burglary spree

NORRISTOWN — A Limerick man has admitted to participating in a residential burglary spree that authorities alleged netted the burglars more than $100,000 in jewelry and other items.

Joseph Anthony Samsel Jr., 25, of the 100 block of West Ridge Pike, pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Court to felony charges of burglary and conspiracy to commit burglary in connection with break-ins that occurred between July 2012 and January 2013.

Senior Judge William T. Nicholas deferred sentencing so that court officials can complete a background investigative report about Samsel, who will also undergo drug, alcohol and psychological evaluations. Samsel was permitted to remain free on bail pending sentencing. He faces a possible maximum sentence of 40-80 years in prison on the charges.

Samsel’s alleged co-conspirator, Michael Raymond Benner Jr., 28, also of the 100 block of West Ridge Pike, is still awaiting court action on multiple burglary-related charges.

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With the charges, authorities alleged Benner and Samsel worked as a team, breaking into houses during the day. Most of the homes were located off roadways and not easily observed from the road, court papers indicate.

The burglaries primarily took place in Montgomery County but two were in Berks County. The break-ins occurred in Limerick, New Hanover, Lower Providence, Lower Frederick, Salford, Upper Salford and Robeson townships, according to court papers.

Specifically, Samsel admitted to taking part, with Benner, in burglaries along Reller Road in Salford, during which jewelry valued at $5,000 was stolen, and along Meng Road in Lower Frederick, during which jewelry and cash totaling more $2,000 was reported stolen.

When Samsel was interviewed by police after his arrest he allegedly admitted to being the driver of the getaway car while Benner went inside some of the houses, according to court papers. But if someone was in the home, Benner would say he was looking for a person who did not live at the house, then leave, according to arrest documents.

The investigation that led to the arrests began on Jan. 3, when Limerick police were dispatched to a home in the 100 block of Limerick Center Road where the homeowner said he had an encounter with a suspicious person at his home, according to court documents. The homeowner said the suspect had a tattoo on the front of his neck, and the description given matched that of Benner.

The homeowner also identified a blue Hyundai parked in his driveway at the time of the incident. Police traced the vehicle to the owner, who told police that Samsel was driving it while he was contemplating purchasing it, according to court papers.

Police discovered that on two previous occasions at nearby residences, homeowners encountered the same man with the tattoo who claimed to be looking for an individual who did not live there and then left in a blue car, according to court papers.

During the investigation, police conducted surveillance on the Hyundai vehicle and upon their arrests Benner and Samsel agreed to show detectives the homes they were responsible for burglarizing, court papers indicate.